IN a busy business district filled with high-rise buildings, otherwise blank walls are painted with colorful murals that not only beautify the area but also make a statement.
The Bonifacio Global City (BGC) district, through its Public Art program ArtBGC, recently added new murals throughout the area.
The business district began its mural project in 2014. Currently, there are 36 murals, 22 art installations, and 110 pieces of street furniture scattered in and around BGC. The project aims at improving the area’s open spaces with parks and art installations.
In the past year, the Bonifacio Art Foundation commissioned artists to create seven additional murals which carry the theme “Rolling Out a Better World.”
“With all the crises we are all experiencing led by the [COVID-19] pandemic, including those brought on and further deepened by the pandemic, like the crisis in education, culture, environment, we all want our common areas to help shape an attitude that we have the power to roll out a better world,” BGC Arts Program’s Head of Content Maria Isabel Garcia told BusinessWorld in an e-mail.
Ms. Garcia said that muralists can join ArtBGC by signing up with the ArtBGC Artist Pool and submitting the requirements.
Shortlisted artists have to submit a design concept based on the location and theme, and these are assessed. Artists are then chosen based on the approved concept and are awarded a mural contract.
Ms. Garcia noted that their team has “an inventory of BGC surfaces that we got consent from property owners” to paint murals on. The designs, she said, “stems from what the partner stands for” and will be related to the umbrella theme.
“We prioritize surfaces that are new, but when there are partners who would like [to use] surfaces that have existing murals and the partnerships for [those old murals] have already lapsed, we consider those as well,” Ms. Garcia added.
The artists behind the approved mural designs are then given four to six weeks to complete the work after the partnership is sealed.
The new murals will be on display for a maximum of five years, depending on the duration of the partnerships.
THE NEW MURALS
The seven new murals were painted by Glendford Lumbao, Patmai, Zoë Rosal, Deafeye Studio, Kankan Ramos, Elie Quial, and Woman Create. The murals were finished by the end of 2021. They are:
What’s Your Culture? by Glendford Lumbao
W Global Center, 30th street corner 9th Avenue
The mural highlights how different narratives are intertwined to make it part of a bigger picture. It hints the Pinoy concept of “kapit-bisig” (joining arms) to visualize how a community could be of service to one another.
Atin ang Love for All by Patmai
Hobbes-Timezone Corridor, Lane O, Bonifacio High Street
The parallel murals depict images on various kinds of love — love for family, friends, and even pets.
Atin ang Araw by Zoë Rosal
C1 MRF, BHS Central, 28th Street
The mural presents playfulness with large images of animals. Yarn is used to link humans from one side of the artwork to the other.
Let Compassion, Empathy and Kindness Flow by Kankan Ramos
High Street South, 11th Avenue
The abstract mural emulates the flow of waves. With the use of cool tone colors, the piece represents the vibrance of the sea.
Atin ang Bawat Sandali by Deafeye Studio
Kalayaan Flyover, 32nd Street
The collective of fine and digital artists Deafeye Studio said that the mural depicts hopefulness and happiness. “We featured moments and memories that might spark a sense of nostalgia and belongingness to each person passing by, representing people from different backgrounds,” the collective said in an e-mail to BusinessWorld. “It’s a quick reminder before they enter to take it easy, have a break and say that life is kind and beautiful, that they are deserving of a relaxing day.”
The Land We Walk On by Elie Quial
The Flats Parklet, 5th Ave. cor. 34th St.
The mural features a jungle in the middle of the city. “As an artist, I feel privileged to use my art as a voice to bring awareness to issues that I feel passionate about. When Art BGC gave me the opportunity to create a mural concept from the prompt: ‘Rolling Out A Better World,’ what better way to bring to the forefront, the plight of Philippines’ endangered species,” Ms. Quial told BusinessWorld.
The wall features species such as the Philippine eagle, the Palawan peacock pheasant, the Red-vented cockatoo, the Philippine forest turtle, the Philippine tarsier, Walden’s hornbill, and the Visayan spotted deer. A portion of the mural also features the waling-waling orchid with bees pollinating the flowers.
“Among the flora and fauna are sets of giant feet representing our role and intentions in our actions towards our ecosystem. It is a reminder that we create an impact on our surroundings and that we affect the lives around us,” Ms. Quial said.
Nurturing Ubuntu: Connected in Our Humanity by Woman Create
The Flats, 5th Ave. cor. 34th St.
The mural depicts the expansion of oneself through community. Ubuntu is an African philosophy which directly translates as “humanity” or “I am because we are.”
“As someone whose work mainly dabbles on the identity theme, I found it fascinating that the Self becomes fully realized when we recognize the value of other people — living fully the ideals of acceptance, empathy, and connection, despite differences. Ingrained behind ubuntu is the hope that our communities and the world can be a better place if we could see through the lens of others,” Marika Callangan, founder of Woman Create, said of the mural’s design.
The various gemstones scattered across the mural represent healing, strength, empowerment.
To know more about BGC’s public art, a virtual art tour is accessible via https://www.bgcartscenter.org/artsatbgc. For updates on the arts program, visit the official Facebook pages of Bonifacio Global City and Bonifacio High Street.
The project is supported by Yamaha Motor Philippines, Globe Telecom, and Boysen Paints Philippines. The Bonifacio Art Foundation accepts donations to help sustain the art programs. Donors can visit https://www.bgcartscenter.org/support or send an e-mail to programs@artsatbgc.org. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman
